4. Reed
Chapter four
Reed
S omething is off.
I may be blind in one eye, but I can still sense that overwhelming hint of deception as I keep myself locked away in the attic.
I haven’t left since Zayden left today for training, and it seems my little Omega is growing up.
Not only is he growing up, but we have ourselves a new Omega, too.
Fresh from the academy.
Just like Zayden four years ago.
I try not to get too caught up in the nostalgia as I sulk alone, avoiding the new Omega at all costs. I even refused to greet her at the door, despite Magnus's protests.
I don't want a new Omega. But Zayden insisted.
He said we would all need a new Omega to take care of from now on since he will be busy training all the time now with Captain Oliver Hart, but he’s the only Omega I will ever want and need.
We’ve become inseparable ever since he came into our lives four years ago. We even bought this house in this suburban nightmare at the prospect of starting a family one day, hence why I seldom leave.
My mere presence terrifies the local neighborhood children. Well, all but for that insufferable Maddie, who I see a lot of myself in.
She's just like a pigtailed version of me at that age…
Chatter echoes downstairs, and then that annoying Beta’s high-pitched laugh echoes up to the attic.
A growl escapes my lips, and I cover my ears, rolling around on my bed to face the wall.
I wasn’t happy about the Beta coming into our home.
Betas are not to be trusted.
Yet, we’re surrounded by them.
Alphas may be dominant, but we’re outnumbered. They say there are ten Betas for every Alpha, but fuck me if they think they'll ever have the upper hand in battle.
We’re stronger, and that's all that matters.
I will kill any Beta who thinks they can get their hands on my Omega.
We also have enemies within our own population, and I’ve had to kill many fellow Alphas in the last several months.
Alphas I once considered allies.
But I sniffed out where they were all hiding, and it just so happens that I found a small gathering just two weeks ago in the underground.
They’re getting sick of Governor Gryphon’s policies. We’ve found a few more Rogues in our city since Ella Titan, but I won't stop until I sniff out every single enemy and traitor.
I will find them all, be they Beta, Omega, or Alpha.
It's why they liken me to a dog.
I’m a freaking bloodhound.
Finally, the house falls silent once the Beta leaves, and I wait a few more moments. Then I get up from my bed, gazing out the window.
There, I find the small, prim woman getting into a car, and the Alpha duo that escorted our new Omega to our house, and a smirk grows on my face when they avoid Maddie.
Then I wait for the inevitable moment Magnus will come knocking on my door, wanting to introduce me to the pack’s new addition.
I don’t need to meet her; I can smell her lemon cupcake scent from up in the attic, the one masking that deception, and I wonder…
What is she hiding?
Soon enough, a thin rap comes at the door, and I bark down the stairs. “Fuck off!”
Magnus sighs. “Reed, get your ass down here and stop being such an unsociable dick for once. Opal is here.”
Opal?
Rather pretty.
I don’t care if she is Venus herself naked in her giant clam, I am not going down there.
Zayden is my Omega. Not Opal.
Our pack is already complete. We don’t need another addition.
“ Reed, ” Magnus growls and oh , do I scent a challenge?
He knows I will kick his ass.
“Dinner is in one hour. Zayden and Levi are back.”
I know; I smelled them up the street.
Sometimes, a heightened sense of smell can be difficult, but since we’re bonded, my senses can be more powerful where my pack is concerned.
Even Magnus's leather car seat is pricking the back of my nose.
“ Fiiinnne, ” I concede, stomping down the stairs at last.
I chose the attic because it's the furthest away from the house, but fuck me in the summer when it turns into an oven, and then again in the winter when my breath becomes visible.
It’s just easier on my nose if my packmates aren’t so close all of the time.
It can get distracting.
Especially Zayden, my mate's scent.
But I won’t deny that my mouth is watering at the scent of that lemon cupcake as I follow Magnus down the second floor of the house, and then toward the dining room.
“Don’t be a bastard,” Magnus warns, meeting my eye.
A growl rumbles in my chest. “What are you trying to say?”
I understand him perfectly. But I decided to humor him.
“You know what I mean. You’ve been sulking since we matched with her.”
Yes, I remember; I think the line has become permanent between my eyebrows as I scowled throughout the whole night, brooding alone in the dark of the attic.
“I still don’t understand why she is here. What purpose does she serve us?” I ask through clenched teeth.
Magnus heaves a breath. “Well, you know how Zayden has always leaned toward the idea of children.”
Oh, I do. And how I wish I could give him a child.
But he cannot bear our young; he would have to mate with a female Alpha in order to produce children, and I refuse to let another Alpha touch my Omega.
“She will not have my seed!"
Magnus snorts. “I’m sure she'll be crying herself to sleep.”
No, of course she won’t.
Because I am pretty sure Zayden was the one pining at the prospect of mating with her.
Two Omegas would produce fine children for sure.
However, it hasn’t happened yet in our society.
“He’s always wanted to be a father,” Magnus says wistfully.
I shrug.
Since most children find me scary, the idea never really appealed to me.
But anything to make my Omega happy.
“He even wants me to build a tree house out front.”
I refrain from rolling my eyes.
Zayden really is old-fashioned, and he watched way too many movies as a child.
We make it to the lower level, and then move across to the dining room.
It’s huge. Fit for a very large family, and just how many kids does Zayden plan on having exactly?
I think I heard him say four sons and four daughters one time, and fuck me…
As an Omega, he has to have an even amount of male and female offspring, since Omegas are obsessed with organization.
And since it’s two even numbers, two times four , he’s even more thorough where his progeny are concerned.
Eight kids though.
I can barely stand to be around one.
Well, more like they can barely stand being around me.
Her scent is stronger downstairs as I fist my hands, and I already know that she's going to be beautiful.
As most Omegas from the Academy are.
Just like Zayden was. Still is.
“At least smile, dickhead.”
I give him a snarl instead.
He sighs and pushes through the swinging doors. It takes a few more moments to compose myself, inhaling deep breaths before I follow him inside.
Her lemon cupcake sticks to my nose.
Once I step into the dining room, I regret it immediately.
My Alpha rears his ugly head when he sets his eye on that redheaded Omega, and fuck.
She really is Venus, and now I can’t help but wonder what she looks like beneath that pale yellow dress as she sits at the head of the table beside Zayden, right in my seat.
That’s my chair…
And she’s getting her scent all over it.
Levi watches me carefully with those vibrant eyes of violet, and I hate him at that moment for being so traditionally handsome.
Women are always smitten when they look at him and that chiseled face.
They look at Magnus that way too, yet it never bothered me before because I was never interested in any women.
But now as I lay my eye on the redheaded Omega before me, I just want to tear the skin off their faces.
Most women are terrified of me, or the scar that bisects my eye on the right side of my face more specifically.
But Opal looks directly into my eye.
And I get a glimpse into those pools of potent honey gold.
Still, as beautiful as she is, something about her rubs me the wrong way.
It’s just there beneath the surface, hidden by flawless red curls, porcelain skin, and honey-gold eyes.
And you can bet on your ass that I’m going to discover exactly what it is.